TOP GUN 2 close to the runway – Cruise, Scott, Bruckheimer back?

Talks in June of a 24 years on ‘Top Gun‘ sequel, have now turned into firm offers according to Vulture. They say director Tony Scott, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and star Tom Cruise (in a supporting role) all have offers on the table from Paramount to join in with this crazy 80’s nostalgia fad, and give us yet another sequel to a franchise that we never knew we wanted.

Chris McQuarrie (‘The Usual Suspects’) is being sought to write, and it’s his friendship with Tom Cruise from ‘Valkyrie’ that is the key to bringing Maverick back.

It’s said Cruise has agreed to return but only if McQuarrie can find a reason for him to do so that’s ‘not obvious’ — i.e. he’s not interested if Maverick is now a flight instructor teaching the kids (presumably Shia LaBeouf). But then again he’s not interested in leading the movie either.

So why ‘Top Gun 2′ now then, 24 years on if not to revive Tom Cruise’s failing career? Well money for a start. The original earned $353 million worldwide in 1986, and was the highest grossing movie of that year. That’s something like $700 million in today’s money. But there is another reason.

Vulture has heard it’s because of David Ellison, the 27 year old son of the world’s sixth richest man who loves his planes and actually started his own production company, Skydance, to finance the World War I aviation thriller ‘Flyboys‘. You may remember that was a huge BOMB four years ago, but I suppose when you are the son of the world’s sixth richest man, it was just an enjoyable year or two playing with expensive toys and having fun.

Ellison has recently sent $350 million to Paramount for their future tentpole slate, some of which is financing the next Cruise led ‘Mission Impossible‘ and presumably, some of that money would go a long way to financing this.

But then what would a ‘Top Gun’ sequel be in this climate? We are in a different era to the mid 80’s. U.S. pilots are now taught to blow to hell small targets from large planes, and not the dog-fighting that made the original an action classic?

Interesting to see how this develops. Scott looks likely to make ‘Nemesis‘, his adaptation of Mark Millar’s latest comic series next year — Bruckheimer is struggling at Disney and could do with a hit so will be interested in this potentially lucrative reboot — and well Cruise won’t be adverse to a big paydeal for a week or two’s work. Or they could all pass, and we hear nothing more for two years.